


ALIVE

by bucheen_cogan



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comfort/Angst, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Horror, M/M, Open Relationships, Reverse Harem, Romance, Same-sex love, Slow Burn, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:21:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28130835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bucheen_cogan/pseuds/bucheen_cogan
Summary: "One day, an unexplained deadly virus of unknown origin suddenly led humanity to the brink of extinction. When the outbreak finally reached Cheon Yang, the city was soon ravaged by the mysterious and incurable virus that turned people into flesh-eating living corpses. Amidst the doom and gloom, a group of young survivors bonded together and later found that the virus had a "weakness". The bloodiest journey started as they learned more about the apocalyptic phenomenon caused by the virus while fighting every minute to survive and stay alive."Note:This fanfiction is heavily inspired by Resident Evil, Attack On Titan (進撃の巨人), and Koe No Katachi (映画 聲の形) .
Relationships: SEVENTEEN Ensemble/Original Female Character(s)





	1. JUDAS KISS

From somewhere not far off the distance, three consecutive explosions were heard followed by long streaks of white and grey smoke spiraling into the sky. Glass windows and doors were crashed through. Looting broke out. Absolute chaos echoed throughout the whole city. Family, friendship, marriage, affection — whatever it was that bonded human beings together at that time was torn apart by a catastrophe that had never been recorded in history. The immediate impact was beyond horrifying, and nobody was prepared for it. Perhaps it had been predicted before, but nobody knew when it would exactly happen.

Suddenly, all hell broke loose. In a literal way. What was once a peaceful flower city of Cheon Yang had become a blood-curdling sight of mass death when something unknown and monstrous came out of nowhere and invaded the city. In a very short time, people turned into ferocious monsters everywhere in what seemed like infinite chains of infections. It was a complete dead end for humanity. No hope. No way out. No god even. There were just deafening honks and dreadful sounds of car alarms. Meaningless prayers. Panicking cries of those who wildly rushed around trying to save their lives from the apocalypse that happened so unexpectedly. But not a single man could escape the darkest day on earth, unfortunately, as they died and quickly lived again but now with deadly instincts to kill their own kind.

“Bon Hwa!”

The girl powerlessly dropped to her knees as she saw no more hope in trying to run away. She trembled so hard in a silent panic that incomprehensible stutters slipped out of her lips, looking down at her boyfriend on the ground who was writhing from a sprained ankle that seemed so painful, her beautiful face losing color. Now that the knight could no longer advance and fight for her life, she was filled with immense fear that made her unable to hear someone who kept screaming her name.

“Bon Hwa! Bon Hwa!”

Still caught in the trance of fear, she was unaware of the approaching presence that then grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her away from her boyfriend. She screamed herself hoarse and leaped to her feet, taken totally by surprise. Out of a pure self-protective instinct, she immediately took the baseball bat that lay next to her boyfriend and braced herself to swing it at whatever was in front of her. But before she ever made use of the sudden rush of power within her, she was flabbergasted, again, by the familiar face before her eyes and froze. At first, she wasn’t sure what to believe, until she finally realized that the young man walking closer to her was completely _human_. And fortunately, _uninfected._

“D-Dong... Han _oppa_?” she stammered. Horror, disbelief, and a subtle hint of relief were mixed up in her widened gaze at him.

“I’ve been looking for you, for fuck's sake!” He took her wrist in his hand as soon as she lowered down the baseball bat. “It’s no longer safe to stay here. Things are only getting worse. We must leave now!”

“No... wait!” She remained in her position. Surprisingly, although her knees felt like they started to turn to jelly, she still had the strength to refuse him. At the same time, there were spine-chilling screams and pleas for help endlessly coming from all directions inside the college buildings, and she knew she could wait no more. “Let’s take Won Woo _oppa_ with us too!” she begged him, tears welling in her eyes. “Please help me carry him!”

“The only thing that will save us now is run as fast as we can to get our ass out of this place, but can he do it?” Dong Han pointed his finger down at her boyfriend who remained quiet and pierced him with a sharp glare despite the intense agony he felt. “He will only slow us down!”

A sudden harsh reality dawned on her and the logic of his statement was like a sucker punch to her guts. “But... but Won Woo _oppa_...” She began to sob sadly, a flood of mixed emotions bursting through her as she looked at her now injured boyfriend. “Won Woo _oppa_ got hurt because he saved me...”

Dong Han ran out of patience to deal with the prolonged drama and got down to pull Won Woo by the collar of his shirt. “How long are you going to keep quiet?!” he confronted the soundless guy, showing his true colors finally. “You can’t continue to run. You can’t even stand up anymore! Are you trying to drag Bon Hwa to death together with you?!”

Disgust would even be an understatement for what Won Woo felt as he glared back at the two-faced guy he had been calling ‘a good friend’ for the past three years. So, after all, it was just an act. A perfect one that deserved an award and a standing ovation, at that. But he wasn’t surprised. At least, he had been reminded again and again that he got a false friend by someone who truly cared and worried about him being too tolerant. And now his gut feelings, and also all the warnings about the innocent-faced backstabber, had been proven correct. Knowing the truth in advance was supposed to free him of pain, but in the end, it still damn hurt.

All this time, Won Woo never took any action to openly confront Dong Han despite all the obvious hints before his very eyes because he still had some respect for the latter who once treated him so kindly when he was a clumsy, gullible, and friendless freshman. In fact, he also knew how pathetic he could become for being too much of a saint who blindly trusted anyone. For always holding on to the notion that everyone might not be good but there was always something good in everyone. Although being taken advantage of was the inevitable price. _Shit,_ he cursed himself inwardly. The deceit and betrayal of this so-called loyal friend of his made his blood boil, but what maddened him the most was the fact that he had foolishly wasted his time and energy to trust the wrong person.

“Come on, Bon Hwa!” Dong Han finally released his grip on Won Woo’s collar and harshly pushed him down again. He turned to the petrified girl and grabbed her wrist, showing more irrefutable strength that made her wince with sudden pain and realization. “It’s only I who can save you now. Stop wasting your time shilly-shallying here!”

Bon Hwa was shivering with terror, tears streaming down her blanched face. Won Woo heard her stifled sobs and immediately they became like burning needles that pierced through him. His anger rapidly subsided and he knew that, despite all the venom in each of Dong Han’s words before, he was right. He was the only one who could save Bon Hwa now. Won Woo didn’t give it a second thought when he realized he had to let her go with Dong Han, but before he could ever say a word to console her, she shakily took a step back and gave him a look that set fires to his already broken world.

“Sorry, Won Woo _oppa_.”

That word, sorry, was devoid of warmth and tender emotions. And a sense of dreadful apprehension soon completely chilled Won Woo’s blood.

Bon Hwa wiped her tears with the blood-stained sleeve of her cardigan, and when she set her gaze back on Won Woo again, there was a regretless look in her red-rimmed eyes that made everything suddenly, radically, change one hundred and eighty degrees — _something_ that Won Woo never expected to see from the only person he had fully trusted his heart to. It was so alien to him that he couldn’t believe what he saw. But the cold look in her eyes became even more palpable, and he suddenly felt as if he had lost all connections to her. It was as if she had peeled off her outer mask, becoming a completely different person that Won Woo failed to recognize although he basically stared at the same face.

“I think we gotta _stop_ here.”

Won Woo suddenly felt like the pounding heart in his chest was frozen into ice. Time stopped ticking, the world stopped spinning, and for a moment he couldn’t hear or feel anything. His vision began to blur with hot tears, but he kept looking at her in utter disbelief, bewilderment, and sadness, wordlessly asking through his eyes what he had done wrong. If their story was written in the book, then it was closed with an unexpected bad ending that left the readers hanging. In fact, Won Woo had got so used to being betrayed. To being given promises that weren’t kept. But who knew that someone who restored his faith in humanity would end up tweaking and turning the beautiful story into a tragic one?

Bon Hwa was literally standing a few steps away from him, but he was shocked to see that they were now two worlds apart. Suddenly, she seemed unreachable. All the mutual understanding and passionate attachment they once shared were gone as if those wonderful feelings never existed in the first place. He was always certain that she was his _other half;_ someone so lovely and tender-hearted who wouldn’t lie to him. Or perhaps, had he been fooling himself all this time, thinking that he was loved back sincerely? How fucking naive had he actually been?

“Good luck.” was the last thing Bon Hwa unapologetically said to him.

Looking up at the bright blue sky, Won Woo accepted his doomed fate and made peace with his aggrieved inner demon. In the end, kindness won within him, and when he shifted his eyes back to her, a genuine forgiving smile split his lips.

“Please... be safe.”

There was _“I love you”_ flashing through Won Woo’s mind, but the affectionate words were left unspoken, stuck deep in his throat as if they would never leave his mouth again. Or perhaps his heart was just too broken that all languages of love began to lose their meanings on him.

What was once a gentle smile on Won Woo’s lips faded into abject sorrow as soon as Bon Hwa turned around and ran away with Dong Han, leaving him behind to die alone. Whatever it was that frightened him before was there no more. He unconsciously raised his hand in the air, like a desperate fool trying to reach out to something that would never return to him. And when he finally came back to his senses, realizing the pointless thing he did, his hand balled into a tight fist and fell back onto the ground. His whole body went numb, completely unable to move until he heard a squelchy growl growing louder and creeping closer to him by the second.

A living dead student, now in a bloodied and tattered uniform of Cheon Yang College of Arts, was rushing toward him, dragging its broken and twisted right leg behind it. Mostly the skin on its face and neck was mangled and torn which was likely due to ferocious bites, shreds of its decaying flesh hung loosely. Its eyes were veiny blood-red and devoid of all white, glaring open with menacing yellowish glints that seemed to signify how deadly infectious it was. Those horrifying blood-red eyes were now affixed on Won Woo who had no more reason to live. And it clacked his blackened and powerful teeth open and shut, snarling and lunging toward him.

Won Woo knew by instinct that he would never be fast enough to dodge the dead. He took a deep breath and readied himself to embrace his demise, but every muscle in his body tensed. It didn’t seem like an easy process, but the pain might only last for a while. At first, he thought he would be fine with the gruesome end of his life. But he was wrong. Suddenly, his entire body trembled hard as sheer waves of fear of unknown origin engulfed him. He squeezed his eyes shut when the zombie finally grabbed him and yanked his soul out of his body, a single tear rolling down his cheek as he remembered _that person_ who had left him alone.

_“Bon Hwa… please don’t leave me.”_

**\- to be continued -**


	2. WAKE-UP CALL

“Please… don’t leave,” he murmured unconsciously.

A zombie outbreak had happened everywhere in the blink of an eye, wreaking havoc throughout the city of Cheon Yang and turning it into a real hell marked by countless splatters of blood and dead bodies littering all the roads and buildings. Every living human being was filled with immense dread that day. And so was Jeon Won Woo, one of the top third-year students of Cheon Yang College of Arts, who fell victim to the inescapable calamity like many others and gave up his life to the extremely deadly creature that was launching itself at him. He had prepared himself for the agonizing impact, but instead of getting bitten on the neck, he heard the crisp and terrifying sounds of bones breaking.

Won Woo wasn’t even sure if he was still breathing alive, but then he opened his eyes to see that the zombie had rolled off his body with a broken neck. His unblinking, perplexed gaze was locked at the groaning zombie for a moment, and when it shifted away from the living dead, he saw a female-like figure standing with a metal broomstick in the tight grip of her hand. At first, he thought she was one of the zombies, but strangely she didn’t make any malicious movement toward him. And she was breathing heavily. Zombies didn’t breathe.

“Won Woo _sunbae_!” She called him hoarsely. There was a hint of panic in her voice, but strangely her behavior suggested the contrary. “Are you alright!?”

Still in a daze, Won Woo couldn’t process the question immediately and he stared intensely at his rescuer, obviously forgetting that the zombie was still moving savagely. It rose from the ground all of a sudden despite its broken neck and lunged at him once again. Unluckily for Won Woo, he was too disoriented to react fast, and next, when he opened his eyes, the zombie’s unsightly face was literally a few centimeters above his. A pungent odor of rotting flesh immediately nauseated him. But despite the absolute horror of facing the living dead from a very close distance, he witnessed his life being saved for the second time.

Won Woo finally recognized his rescuer. She was always known as the shortest female student in the entire college, almost like an elementary school kid in an adult environment, and she had seemingly got teased a lot both in a playful and insolent way. But people surely have underestimated her size. At least Won Woo was alive when he saw with his very eyes the desperate strength in her hands as she mouth-locked the zombie by pressing the metal broomstick between its upper and lower teeth, preventing it from biting him and turning him into a monster. Grunting behind the zombie that was jerking around furiously, she tightened her grip on the broomstick with extreme force and pulled the monstrous creature away from Won Woo still mouth-locking it. She literally wrestled the dead as if knowing no fear at all, and after making sure that the senior wouldn’t be harmed, she flipped the growling corpse over onto its back and launched unrestrained merciless attacks at its head.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. 

It took five barbaric hits and one heavy stomp for her to crush the zombie’s skull and kill it on the spot. Hopefully for good. Won Woo would likely remember the loud, sickening cracking sound forever, and as if it wasn’t horrifying enough to make him feel a queasy churn in the pit of his stomach, the now motionless corpse's brain was scattered on the grassy ground right before him. Brownish red blood splattered onto him, and fortunately, he turned his face away in the nick of time. When he again looked up at the girl who was then panting hard from exerting herself like a mad man, he understood why she was almost completely covered with blood that he couldn’t recognize her before. Apparently, she knew how to fight the zombies, and probably, she had killed many of them.

“Won Woo _sunbae_!” She dropped on her knees and seized the stupefied man’s arm to help him sit straight up, smudging some blood and dirt on his sleeve. “We must avoid an open space like this. Let’s go!” she told him with a serious look. “Let’s find somewhere safe!”

Won Woo gazed back at her saying nothing, not even budging despite the tangible proof of her sincerity. “No,” he then muttered unemotionally, his expression shifting from puzzlement to one of grim unfriendliness that startled the girl. “You go.” He pulled the girl’s hand off his arm, signaling to her that he had made a decision.

“Go? Without you?”

There was incredulity in her eyes, but Won Woo didn’t change his mind, answering her with a silence that carried ice-cold seriousness.

“Do you want me to leave you?” It was obvious that she held her breath for a moment, a frown on her brow, refusing to comply with his suicidal request. “No!” Now her voice was confrontationally louder, firmer, so it could pierce through his stubbornness. “Never will I leave you here!”

“Just fuckin’ go help yourself!” he replied angrily, hopelessness and guilt buried right under the harshness of his voice. “You’re not obliged to care about me! Go away!”

The petite girl then rose to her feet slowly but she remained standing there, looking at him with a glisten of sadness in her light brown eyes. There seemed to be a quiet argument between them, and although she was threatened by the unwelcoming air around him, her unwavering stance unmistakably showed a real determination that soon made him confused. And next, he was angry and ashamed of himself for his uselessness. He averted his icy gaze away from her, looking at his feet, attempting to move them carefully but to no avail. Horrible pain raked through his body again from the severely sprained ankle, and he suppressed his groan not wanting her pitying attention. 

“Won Woo _sunbae_.” She softened her voice after seeing him noticeably in great pain and confusion, finally understanding why the senior was so adamant about pushing her away. “I know the safest place for now,” she continued, a note of pleading slipping into the tenderness of her voice. “It’s—”

Suddenly, there were very loud crashing sounds coming from above them. Her last words were left unfinished as they both instantly looked up to see what was happening. The windows shattered and countless shards of glass rained on them. Much to their shock, zombies were free-falling from the fourth floor of the building coming right towards them. Won Woo couldn’t continue to stare up as he instinctively turned away and raised his arms to cover his face from all the sharp smithereens and inescapable danger, but in a split second, he glimpsed one of the feral corpses fall right on top of the junior who was caught completely off guard and knock her down on the ground.

“Jin Joo!” He screamed in terror, but there was nothing he could do as zombies then filled his slightly blurred vision. 

Two zombies were wriggling violently on the ground with twisted necks and limbs trying to drag themselves closer to Won Woo, making non-stop monstrous growls at the living human who stared at them back shell-shocked. The impact of falling down straight to the ground from such a height had broken most of their bones, but strangely, they could still groan with their bloodthirsty eyes fixed on him and move wildly as if nothing could stop them. In fact, nothing made sense anymore, and unfortunately, he realized a few seconds too late that another zombie had suddenly risen to its feet, detected his presence, and lunged at him with lethal precision, its decayed teeth bared widely ready to rip his skin and bite into his flesh. 

At first, Won Woo thought he had given up his life, so he literally surprised himself when he then spat a curse at the dead and hastily picked up the bloody metal broomstick from the ground. He didn’t know where his strength came from, but he was fueled by some kind of anger and frustration. He shouted himself hoarse and hit the zombie hard in the head, making it stagger back from the direct blow and drop to the ground. 

It was no longer a mere survival instinct, but _something else._ Something that Won Woo couldn’t define with simple words. Something that made him think that giving up wasn’t the only way out. A while ago he was scared witless, but next, somehow, he felt like he was possessed. He wished he could live longer. He turned his eyes now looking for the junior’s entire being, hoping he would find her alive despite his own logic trying to discourage him. But, of course, the good news his heart desired was nothing but a delusion in such a dire calamity. Before he found her and made himself certain she survived in whatever way possible, more zombies suddenly appeared in the distance and crazily rushed towards him. 

“Fuck.”

Won Woo forced himself to rise using one of his legs and fight, but apparently, he had run out of luck. A zombie pounced at him so ferociously that he was immediately slammed back to the ground. The overwhelming force disoriented him and made him dizzy with pain as though he had just been hit by a car. When he opened his eyes, through his slightly blurred vision, he saw the hideous zombie right on top of him pinning him down with its weight and unstoppable lust to kill. Its head was snapping back and forth, its mouth clamping open and close wanting to tear him from limb to limb, but Won Woo found himself still alive by sheer luck again as he pressed the broomstick against the neck of the ravening corpse to defend himself from the deadly biting. 

Won Woo groaned angrily at the dead, pressing his lips tightly together. He kept turning his head from side to side disgusted by the stench of rotting blood and flesh that filled his nose, and the sticky strings of drool that dribbled down its mouth and fell on his face. For dear life he held onto the hope that he could die in a different way, and despite how miserable he was, he continued resisting and pushing the monster away. But his stamina faltered every second, and his arms began to hurt and give out. Adrenaline coursed through his brain. He screamed as loudly as he could trying to summon all his remaining power, but the dead was shockingly stronger. He started to lose his grip on the metal broomstick and suddenly, he realized that the zombie’s pale hideous face was so close to his. When it bared its teeth, he squeezed his eyes shut and let out a long exhale, sure that he would die this time.

“Won Woo _sunbae_!”

A frantic shriek was then heard in the very last and brief moment right before the god of death blew the life out of Won Woo. He instantly reacted to the familiar voice and opened his eyes again to see that the zombie was kicked away from him. He jerked aside instinctively to avoid it, but before he raised the broomstick that was still in his clutch, a short human figure quickly smashed its head into fragments with a big piece of rock and killed it on the spot.

“Jin Joo…” And after that, Won Woo went speechless for a long time.

So the girl survived. And without him realizing it, she had saved his life again. Her size was small and for that, she had been through misjudgment and many other forms of hardship. But, if being _small_ meant unstoppable and undaunted, then the only one who would perfectly fit the description was Hwang Jin Joo.

“Won Woo _sunbae_ , are you alright?” she asked worriedly, looking him up and down to check on him. 

Won Woo checked on himself and then gave her a reassuring nod. Unfeigned concern etched in her countenance significantly lightened, but it was obvious that she got injured more than him from the shards of glass and constant fighting. Now there were more stains of bright crimson on the uniform she was wearing. He opened his mouth to address his growing unease to her, but again, he had to swallow down his words as she quickly turned around and attacked two more zombies that dashed toward them. 

No more words were exchanged later. They automatically formed a group of two standing side by side and took the zombies down together. Like a pro batter, Won Woo struck the feral corpses hard with the broomstick, and then Jin Joo finished them off immediately by slamming the heavy rock into their heads. In a normal situation, they would perhaps high-five each other for the synchronized cooperation, but now, knowing glances cast at each other were enough communication.

“Let’s go!” Jin Joo dropped the rock and reached him without hesitation, setting his arm around her shoulders to support him. “We must disappear from their sight! That’s how we can escape them!”

Won Woo actually still needed some time to digest what the girl said, but he complied without question. When she started guiding him to move, he felt a bit apologetic thinking that he was a big burden to her, but as time passed, he finally realized she was stronger than he thought and such a misconception made him ashamed of himself. He unconsciously leaned on her more heavily than he would have wished, moving along beside her. Despite the major height difference between them, she was a perfect human crutch who filled him with a sense of security. As if there was nothing to be afraid of anymore. He was surprised by how suddenly random and strange it was but kept quiet.

Jin Joo led them both to an unknown room and stopped behind a window. She tiptoed and scanned the inside of the room for a while, then looked back at him whispering approvingly, “It looks safe here.” 

Suddenly, she lowered herself down and showed him her back, making him feel at a loss for words as he could read what was in her mind.

“ _Sunbae_ , you go first. Get on me to push the window open and enter the room,” she instructed him with all seriousness in her voice. And when she saw his hesitation turning into an unwillingness to accept the idea, she told him again, more sternly, “Get on me now! We’ve got no more time to waste!”

Won Woo had lost count of how many times the girl took him aback. She suddenly gave off a domineering aura he thought she never had, and again, it almost terrified him when he found himself obeying her words. His heart ached with guilt the moment he used her smaller body to slip into the unoccupied room, and even though she told him reassuringly that she would catch up to him straight away, the knot in his chest only tightened even more.

In the corner of the room, Won Woo hid under a desk and waited for her. However, it felt like an eternity, and much to his horror, she didn’t immediately show up as she said she would.

\- **to be continued** -


	3. TRUST

> _“Stay quiet. I’ll be there!”_

Those were the last words Jin Joo said.

In the corner of the room, Won Woo hid under a desk and waited for her. However, it felt like an eternity, and much to his horror, she didn’t immediately show up as she said she would. He looked up at the open window and suddenly didn’t feel well. It was as if there were mad butterflies going on a rampage inside his stomach, making him feel dizzy and nauseous. He was inwardly counting the seconds that passed until a very unpleasant and creepy _feeling_ — a sense of foreboding that filled his head with the sole thought that something had gone really _wrong_ — swept over him.

The uncertainty was too much for Won Woo to bear on his own. He couldn’t wait any longer. He couldn’t even hear and feel the signs of her presence. Then, when he was about to rise to his feet to peer through the window, a loud noise of an advancing horde of zombies suddenly came from outside the window and made his blood run cold. He staggered back and collapsed shakily onto the floor, pressing a hand to his mouth to stifle his own rising scream. At any fucking moment, those creatures could barge into the room crashing through the windows, and that thought alone was enough to make him lose his composure. Jin Joo had suddenly disappeared, so did the glimmer of hope.

_“Where the hell has she gone to?”_

_“Is she okay?”_

_“Is it… probably... because of me?”_

Won Woo inwardly questioned himself. Even in his aching head, the never-ending voices and echoes were venomous, filled with bitterness and self-condemnation. His worn-out body began to tremble as he recalled the heroic deeds of a girl who was technically a _stranger_ to him. Other than her name, department, and why she received much mockery and ridicule from the majority of students at the college, he knew nothing of her. On the other hand, she might know his name, greeted him a few times before, but casual conversations never existed between them. Even as a senior to a junior and vice versa.

Given that fact, she completely had no reason to save him — and sure enough, being saved by some random person right after he was betrayed big time in such an inescapably dire situation never crossed his mind too. But unexpectedly, they crossed paths when everything was screwed up in the blink of an eye and left him with nothing but despair and emptiness. She, who was a complete stranger to him, came to save his life undauntedly and unhesitatingly when his friend, and even his lover, tragically turned into heartless strangers right before his eyes. And Won Woo, who always had some trust issues with people he didn’t know, now felt so confused, scared, and guilty as his world was turned upside down.

_“Why did she help me?”_

_“Why did I let her help me at the cost of her own life?”_

Won Woo closed his eyes and forced back the tears encroaching on them. A low, yet painful thud was heard as he carelessly leaned back against the wall and the back of his head hit it. In the unbroken darkness, he began to lose all sense of himself, then the sense of time. Then, he thought he was hallucinating. Muffled sobbing could be heard across the unknown room, very near, and it took a while for him to finally realize that he wasn’t the one who made the woeful sound. And that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. His eyes snapped back open when he suddenly felt another presence inside the room that was thought to be unoccupied. He swallowed nervous gulps, looking for the primary source of the faint sobs.

At the other corner of the room across from him, Won Woo found _it._

A female student had been sitting there on her own all this time, her arms wrapped around her folded legs, hugging her shaking body into a tight ball. In the dense shade of a tall cupboard next to her, she almost went unnoticed. If it wasn’t because of the sound of her cry, he probably would never know she was there. And now she was staring at him, her terrified eyes haunting him all of a sudden.

Won Woo didn’t know what to say to calm her down. He was powerless, silently hating himself. And in fact, he couldn’t, and _mustn’t_ , make any sound either. He apologetically returned her look with nothing that could reassure her, but also signaled her not to make any sudden move or noise that could attract the dead. Prolonged eye contact between them then made them realize that they were both trapped with no way out. That they were doomed to die a lingering death likely from helplessness and starvation. So what was actually the point of staying quiet and hiding?

Much to their shock, the door then suddenly rattled in its frame as it was repeatedly slammed hard by something. But it was too easy to guess what was happening out there. A while ago, the hallway was dead quiet. Dead calm. Until the ear-splitting sounds of the living ones screaming for help broke the stillness of the area. Won Woo and the unnamed girl looked at each other again in silent panic, and both knew that they could do nothing to prevent and stop whatever was taking place out there.

Horrifying growls and roars of berserk zombies were mixed with human shouts, followed by bone-cracking thuds, silenced cries, and other frightening sounds. Glass shattered. Hard objects collided with one another. Limbs were broken. Bodies were ripped apart. Squelchy sounds of rotten teeth sinking into warm and bloody flesh echoed through the hallway and crept into the room where Won Woo and the girl were. It was completely unimaginable chaos out there. And now, _someone_ was fighting for their life right on the other side of the door. But to no avail. They were crying and shrieking hysterically over their indescribable pain and their life being devoured. Hitting and clawing at the door causing it to rattle hard. Leaving bloody prints on the glass panel at the upper part of the door.

Won Woo shifted his gaze and his chest tightened with apprehension as he saw how fucking scared the girl looked. She was clamping a hand over her mouth, shaking hard, her face wet with tears streaming out of her eyes. And somehow he got a feeling that she was about to let out a loud scream. No, she mustn’t scream. Not here. It was a critical moment. Just one sound and the door would burst open.

“Sssh.” He looked at her and put his finger over his lips, gesturing to her to keep quiet.

The girl turned her face and looked back at him. As their eyes were locked again, she then saw him shaking his head slowly with his hand outstretched in mid-air. She realized she almost made a grave mistake, so she nodded and put both hands now over her mouth to remind herself not to make a single sound.

Next, the door stopped rattling.

A series of very loud clanks was coming from somewhere all of a sudden, like metal repeatedly hitting against metal, attracting the zombies. With the fact that there were no more living beings in sight to be attacked and bitten, those ferocious and extremely agile corpses immediately reacted and ran after the unlucky souls that might have unintentionally caused the noise, now followed by the newly transformed ones that rose again from the dead to spread the terror. Lots of footsteps in a quickened pace then reverberated through the hallway, moving toward the source of the noise that was likely coming from the other end of the hallway.

The one who was killed at the door had also risen. The irreversible transformation made the door rattle hard once again, scaring those two who were hiding inside the room witless. Now a monster, it let out a creepy inhuman groan following its awakening, and it instantly joined the old horde of zombies to find and brutally end the next lives. These creatures left quickly like a strong breeze, and soon, the menace and horror from their presence faded away.

And then there was silence.

A dead silence.

Won Woo and the girl looked at each other again, communicating the relief through their expressions. A small, nervous smile managed to grow on her face. But it only lasted for a fleeting moment. The eerie sound of the doorknob suddenly rotating tore down whatever positive feeling that was forming in their hearts in an instant.

\- **to be continued** -


End file.
